When I saw a hawk circling around the San Gabriel River Trail, I thought it might be a turkey vulture which I have seen before. After using Google Lens to identify the hawk, it turns out to be a zone-tailed hawk. The zone-tailed hawk is a medium-sized raptor with three or four bands on the tail. They can be seen at foothills and canyons in the southwestern U.S. as well as Central America and some parts of South America. In hunting, the zone-tailed hawk soars and circles like a Turkey Vulture in order to fool their prey of birds, mammals, and lizards since vultures do not normally prey on live animals.
當我看到一隻鷹在聖加布里埃爾河步道 (San Gabriel River Trail)上盤旋時，我猜這可能是我以前見過的紅頭美洲鷲。 用 Google 智慧型鏡頭識別後，才知原來這是一隻斑尾鵟。它是一種中型猛禽，尾巴上有三或四個條帶。 在美國西南部以及中美洲和南美洲部分地區的山麓和峽谷中可以看到它們。在狩獵時，它翱翔和盤旋的模樣很像紅頭美洲鷲，以欺騙鳥類、哺乳動物和蜥蜴等獵物，因為禿鷹通常不捕食活的動物。
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Notes 筆記
- The zone-tailed hawk (Buteo albonotatus) is a medium-sized raptor with broad wings and similar flight style to a common scavenger, the turkey vulture. The adult plumage is mostly blackish. The tail has three or four bands (the "zones" of the common name). The female is much heavier and bulkier than the male.
- Zone-tailed hawks range from parts of southern Arizona, New Mexico, California and western Texas almost throughout inland Mexico and the central portions of Central America down into eastern Colombia, Ecuador and, more sporadically, into Peru, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and northern Argentina.
- The zone-tailed hawks often hunt in desert scrub and grasslands, and they use river courses with cottonwoods and willows for both nesting and hunting. They also thrive in arid foothills above 3,000 feet, especially with rocky canyons and cliffs, and often forage much higher, into mixed and coniferous (usually pine) forests up to about 7,600 feet, where they prefer edges and clearings.
- Zone-tailed Hawks eat mostly birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
- In hunting, zone-tailed hawk soars and circles like a Turkey Vulture that does not normally prey on live animals, and thus may not be alarmed by smaller animals below. When it spots prey, it continues to circle as before, but gradually moves off to the side and lower; as soon as it is screened from the prey animal by some kind of cover, the hawk turns and makes a direct, powerful attack, taking the prey by surprise.
- Both male and female construct a large stick nest typically in tall tree such as oak and pine and then lined with green leafy twigs. Same nest site may be used for many years.
- In breeding season, pairs may circle high in air, calling. In another display, bird flaps to high elevation while calling and then dives steeply, almost to ground.
- The clutch comprises one to three, typically two, white eggs. Incubation lasts for around 28 to 35 days and typically the female incubates, while being fed by the male, although the male may occasionally incubate.
- 斑尾鵟 (Buteo albonotatus) 是一種中型猛禽，翅膀寬闊，飛行方式與常見的食腐動物紅頭美洲鷲類似。 成年鵟的羽毛大多是黑色的，尾巴有三或四個條帶，雌鵟比雄鵟更重更大。
- 斑尾鵟分佈於亞利桑那州、新墨西哥州、加州的南部和德州西部的部分地區，幾乎遍及墨西哥內陸和中美洲中部，一直延伸到哥倫比亞東部、厄瓜多爾，偶爾也在秘魯、巴西南部、巴拉圭、玻利維亞、 和阿根廷北部看得到它們。
- 斑尾鵟常在沙漠灌木叢和草原上捕獵，它們利用有棉白楊和柳樹的河道來築巢和捕獵。 它們也常流連在海拔 3,000 英尺以上的乾旱山麓，尤其是在岩石峽谷和懸崖的邊緣及空地上，或進入高達約 7,600 英尺的混交林和針葉(松樹)林覓食。
- 斑尾鵟主要吃鳥類、哺乳動物、爬行動物和兩棲動物。
- 在狩獵時，斑尾鵟翱翔和盤旋的模樣很像通常不捕食活的動物的紅頭美洲鷲，因此可能不會驚動地面上的小動物。 當斑尾鵟發現獵物時，它會繼續像之前一樣盤旋，但逐漸向側面移動並向下飛； 一旦它被某種掩護物遮掩到而不被獵物發現時，斑尾鵟就會轉身進行直接而有力的攻擊，使獵物措手不及。
- 不管是雄鵟或雌鵟都會在橡樹和松樹等高大的樹上建造一個大的樹枝巢，然後襯以綠葉茂盛的樹枝。同一個築巢地點可能會使用很多年。
- 在繁殖季節，雌雄成對的鳥可能會在高空中盤旋並鳴叫。 或是在另一種求偶行為中，斑尾鵟會一邊叫喚一邊拍打翅膀直上到高空，然後陡峭地俯衝，幾乎落地。
- 每巢可產一到三個白色的蛋，大多是兩個蛋。孵化期約 28 至 35 天，通常由雌鵟負責孵化，而由雄鵟負責餵養，偶爾雄鵟會幫忙孵化。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Zone-tailed hawk
- All about birds: Zone-tailed Hawk
- Audubon: Zone-tailed Hawk
- 百度百科: 斑尾鵟
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